Story Highlights

Grady Eifert's free throws with 38.3 seconds left stood up as the game-winners.

MADISON, Wisconsin — Purdue men's basketball unshackled itself from the ball and chain it had dragged around since the Charleston Classic — the one that grew heavier with each stumble on the road — and left it in the bowels of Wisconsin's Kohl Center late Friday night.

The Boilermakers' 84-80 overtime win ended a six-game losing streak away from Mackey Arena and secured their first true road victory in five tries.

So many moments and decisions pile up to make such victories possible. Carsen Edwards' shot-making, whether from 10 feet or nearly three times that. Ryan Cline and Nojel Eastern supporting their lead guard in subtle, almost hidden ways. Trevion Williams' continued mastery on the offensive boards and his growing proficiency elsewhere.

Yet the play that finally cut loose that anchor of road woes is also the one that could give Friday's victory staying power. That play, when the Boilermakers' biggest star deferred to perhaps their most underappreciated contributor, helped define the difference between a team that comes up short on the road and one that finds a way to break through.

"We knew coming into this one it was going to be a fight, and we came out and tried to do the right things and do our job so we could get this win," Edwards said.

The play in question came after Purdue called a timeout with 46.9 seconds left and the game tied 79-79. Wisconsin forrward Ethan Happ — a genius at work for most of his 40-plus minutes — had thrown away his eighth and final turnover a few seconds earlier.

Edwards had already scored 34 points by this point. Painter wanted a two-for-one opportunity — taking a shot early enough that it would ensure Purdue would get the ball back after Wisconsin's possession. He told Edwards to look for a ball screen.

Painter expected Wisconsin to keep switching with Brevin Pritzl as it had previously. Instead Edwards was confronted by both Pritzl and another defender, allowing Grady Eifert to dive to the basket all alone.

CLOSE

The Boilermakers coach on Carsen Edwards, Grady Eifert and his team's first true road victory of the season.
Nathan Baird, jconline.com

Edwards will shoot through and over double teams. He'll throw up shots from 30 feet or more. That is roughly where he stood when he heaved up an airball in the final seconds of regulation, depriving Purdue a chance to work for a better shot and giving Wisconsin a final, desperation possession.

But Edwards saw what was happening in that flash of overtime, and this time, as he elevated for a potential 27th shot attempt, he instead fired a pass to Eifert under the basket. Eifert didn't finish with a basket, but he drew a foul that disqualified Wisconsin's Khalil Iverson.

Then he stepped to the line and knocked down the tiebreaking free throw, then another, to put Purdue up 81-79 with 38.3 seconds left.

"We do a drill like that — pressure free throws," said Eifert, who expected Edwards to shoot it until their mutual recognition of the opportunity late in the sequence. "It's something coach talked about. We're going to be put in those pressure situations.

"That's why you come to Purdue. That's why you live for those moments. Just know that all your practice has paid off and you just go down and knock them down."

Eifert collected nine points, three rebounds, two steals and no turnovers in 28-plus minutes. The former walk-on enjoyed his biggest moment of glory thus far as a Boilermaker. His primary defensive responsibility, 6-11 Badgers forward Nate Reuvers, made little impact.

Edwards finished with 36 points after making two game-clinching free throws with 8.1 seconds left. That was more than three times as many points as he scored three nights earlier at Michigan State.

Throughout that game in East Lansing, Edwards and Painter were seen sharing earnest conversations on the floor and on the bench. More conversations followed back in West Lafayette. Edwards' 3-for-16 shooting performance that night felt like a regression when the Boilermakers could least afford it.

Painter also said that night he was confident Edwards would respond. He did.

"I feel like he let the game come to him to him more," said Cline, who scored 14 points while making 4 of 7 from 3-point range. "Obviously there were times, especially in the first half, that other guys got going. But we're going to rely on him a lot when we need a bucket, and I feel like he did exactly that tonight."

The box scored credits Edwards with only one assist. He was not awarded one for the pass that led to Eifert's free throws.

Happ finished with six assists to augment his 31 points and 13 rebounds. Edwards brushed off the notion of stepping up to match Happ's aura.

"This is high-level basketball we're playing," Edwards said. "We're playing against some of the best players in the country every night.

"Of course you want to compete and you want to win. I just try to raise my level every game."

For perhaps the first time all season, a Purdue win was defined by a shot Edwards chose not to take. If that lesson takes hold, more outcomes like Friday's are possible.